Caskets or coffins are typically purchased during a stressful time shortly after the unfortunate need arises due to the death of a loved one. Although caskets have been traditionally purchased through a funeral home, caskets could be more available from alternative point of sale locations such as directly from a funeral supply stores, the internet, and retail locations. The available selection of caskets, however, is mostly limited to steel or wood caskets that are expensive. The bulky steel or wood caskets are also difficult to ship and prone to damage during shipment which increases the difficulty of using alternative point of sale locations. Caskets also occupy considerable space when stored and require climate controlled storage. Consequently, a need exists for a less expensive casket. A need also exists for a modular casket that can be easily shipped and assembled and can be stored in a non-climate controlled facility.
Further, the steel or wood caskets typically have a single, mono-tone color. For example, wood caskets often have a wood-looking, brown exterior. Steel caskets often have a single steel-like color such as gray or silver. Application of exterior finishes typically occurs after the casket piece has been manufactured. Consequently, the addition of different designs to a steel or wood casket through application of a stain, primer, paint, lacquer, or other similar coating can be labor-intensive and therefore expensive to apply and such finishes are highly prone to damage during shipment and storage. Further, as the complexity of the design increases, the cost substantially increases. This is one reason that caskets typically have only single-color, monotone exteriors. Consequently, a need exists for a method of making a casket that incorporates one or more pre-made images, such as a color or design, to the casket exterior during or after the manufacturing process.
Prior art attempts have been made to decorate casket exteriors. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,388,426 discloses a method of decorating the surface of a casket. The method involves a time-consuming labor-intensive process.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,223,404 discloses a casket with a customized, decorative external surface and methods in which panels of an adhesive-backed substrate material with a digitally imaged design are fixed to the casket surface. This method also requires a time-consuming labor-intensive process including the steps of applying an acid-wash neutralizer to the external surface of the casket, buffing the surface, applying a primer, and finally applying the substrate material. The method also heavily emphasizes the complicated step of supplying a two-dimensional image that can be placed on a three-dimensional casket.